Happily Never After
by ImmaNinNin
Summary: Nakamura Tomoko, your total average Joe finds herself hit in the head with a basketball. After waking up from the hospital she starts reliving another person's memory. The catch? Well according to that person she's living in a world that popped up from someone's brain. This can't be good, or can it? Rated M for dark themes.
1. Kore

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket or 黒子のバスケ, does not belong to me. I am but a speck in the universe. Zank you.**

 **Full Summary: Nakamura Tomoko, your total average Joe finds herself hit in the head with a basketball. After waking up from the hospital she starts reliving another person's memory. The catch? Well according to that person she's living in a world that popped up from someone's brain. This can't be good, or can it?**

 **Happily Never After**

Prologue:

Ever wonder if you're dreaming? Thinking that one day you'll wake up and find yourself living a lie. That every thing you did, achievement, accomplishment, your success, was all just a lie. All that hard work gone down the drain. Everything you did was staged, all your actions written out as if you're in a book. You find yourself angry. This was the truth. You truly didn't matter, you don't even fully exist?

You start feeling emotions, confusing emotions that aren't suppose to be there. You no longer feel like a child. The innocence your parents strived to keep. That childish wonder that had them in giggles. The child raised to be…gone.

Only to be replaced by an unknown. Something darker, more calculating. Mature.

You do not understand. Who is this person? Oh wait, that's you now isn't it.

You don't know what to do – this was too abrupt. You learn something you weren't suppose to know…

You learned, you weren't real.

Well…that was me, 5 years ago.

 ** _Flashback_**  
 _Nakamura Tomoko was on her way home from picking flowers, walking alongside her best friend Sato hand and hand. They were both big kids now. Sato was almost in his teens, with Tomoko being two weeks shy of her eleventh birthday_

 _"Look! Tomo-Chan! That tree looks like you!" The boy introduced as Sato pointed out._

 _"Sato, just because I have orange hair doesn't make me an orange." Tomoko, a little exasperated, looked at her companion, who in return stick out his tongue._

 _"Don't forget those eyes ~ Hey What's with that look! I know you're calling me stupid mentally." Tomoko only signed, sometimes she felt like the older one despite the two year difference._

 _Despite knowing him for only a little while, they were already best friends. Tomoko could already tell by his personality that he was a little on the dumb side. Sato just didn't care what she thought of him._

 _Gripping Sato's hand tighter than usual, she lead the rambunctious boy out of the fruit park. The place was pretty nice, colorful, and sweet smelling, with a whole cluster of flowers littered basically everywhere._

 _Tomoko felt a twinge in her chest. Living in Oregon was nice but she missed LA, the place that always bustled with high powered activity. She missed her neighbors, she missed her little library-_

 _"Thinking about LA, again? I assure you, up here will be the homiest place you'll ever be." The brunette let go of Tomoko hand for just a second, only to grab it again. " I know how you feel, I lived in Pittsburg, 'member?" And he did know exactly how his friend felt. To let go of everything, all to start over again. It was what he's been doing since he was a little kid._

 _His dad's never been around most of the time, and when the man finally left, his family was financially unstable. His mom always moved him around places, uncaring about the friends he left behind. He signed. "Wanna see something cool? I assure you If it was fun for me, it'll be fun for you. You're my friend."_

 _"…Yeah." A small, contagious smile mad it's way onto her lips, "That's why you're such a great friend"_

 _Blushing a little the brunette grinned. "You're wrong though?" The look on the ginger's face was priceless. "I'm not a great friend-" Cue another quizzical look. "I'm a mega, amazing, fantastic! Friend!" This comment only resulted in a light slap to his arm, but the laugh that soon followed was worth it._

 _"Come on, I gotta show you the basketball court. It's really cool! " Taking the girls hand once more, the ecstatic brown haired boy, shoveled his way through the light crowd, stopping when the object of his thoughts came into view._

 _A basketball court._

 _We sat in an area that made it easier to view the basketball players, I was a little frightened on how close they were to us, I wasn't really ready to meet new people yet._

 _I watched as the ball was bounced, weaving expertly through the highschoolers. It was an object to be obtained. Like a princess, fought over by knights, the ball was fought over by players. It needed to be in one side's grasp to attain the victory._

 _"See! That's our community basketball court, those big guys over there come here everyday just to play basketball. Want me to teach ya?"_

 _Nodding though, a little reluctantly, Tomoko let a smile crawl it's way onto her face. Maybe this won't be too bad. "Sure! How do I start?"_

 _Sato smiled. "Well first off. Do you know what basketball is?" Tomoko nodded. "It's a game in which you have to throw the basketball in the net to get points, the team with the most points wins. " Scratching her head she shot Sato a confused look. "I don't think that's all of it though…it looks fun at least"_

 _"That's true, there are other key aspects to the g-"_

 _"Watch out!" Before I knew it a basketball was flying at me a startling speed. I sat frozen, unable to move, the ball, despite it hurdling towards me remained the same, it's form flawless, unchangeable. It would not stop._

 _I was captivated._

 _I did not know when the ball hit me, nor did I see it. I did not hear Sato scream my name. I did not hear the ambulance come to get me, or feel when they lifted me up to put on the bench. I could not taste the blood in my mouth. I could not recognize the smell of the hospital when I got there._

 _I was in a deep trance._

 _What I was able to see though, I cannot properly explain._

 _I saw a woman, quite young, hunched over – blood seeping from a deep wound in her chest, shielding a child from danger. The man who gave the woman the wound did not notice the child, and later had thrust the blade, which dripped of blood, into his chest. I saw his eyes roll to the back of his head. The child, no older than four looked at the bloodied bodies with frantic eyes, she soon joined them in the heap of bodies._

 _Something else came into view. The child, now looking a little older, was wondering the streets, frail and malnourished, she looked for somewhere warm to stay. A man, beady eyes, fat lips, and a large beer belly took notice of the child. His red eyes scanned her body hungrily. He did not care for the protrusion of her ribs. Her sunken down cheeks. No he cared for what he wanted, and nothing more._

 _"Are you hungry little girl? I can give you a good supper if you follow me. " The child, eyes shining with hope, remembered what her mother once told her. 'Do not talk to strangers' But she was so hungry. I felt sick knowing what would happen next. This girl…_

 _"M-mommy says I shou'dun talk ta s-strangers…" Her voice was shallow and weak, her words incomplete, unsure of how to take the conversation._

 _The man grinned. "Is your mommy here then? Your mommy doesn't need to know" Thinking about her mothers dead corpse brought slight tears to the young girls eyes. Would this man really?_

 _"B-but-"_

 _"But what. Everyone starts as strangers you know. Even your mommy and daddy" Tomoko couldn't help but agree with this man. No matter how sick and twisted this man was, he was right._

 _"R-really" The man nodded, outstretching his arms "Just follow me, I'll give you some good supper you'll never forget, even your mother's can't be as good as mine" The small child grabbed onto the large man's meaty fingers. I didn't want to watch what happened next, but something forced me too._

 _I tried to close my eyes, only to realize I couldn't. 'What the?'_

 _A sharp noise brought me out of my inner turmoil._

 _"…no…"_

 _I was forced to watch as the child was slapped. Forced to watch the small child try to break free, only to get slapped again. The man forced himself on the girl. Uncaring of the girls pained whimpers. When she got too loud, he began to tie some cloth around the child's mouth. I felt sick, but something was keeping me awake, no matter how hard I tried to forget._

 _The man did not care about the blood that littered the sheets, he seemed oblivious, his face settling into a drunken haze._

 _Then I could smell. I could smell the slimy hands. a body, It wreaked of sweat, Shit, And piss. I could smell the blood. Which had not stopped flowing since the man forced himself in her. I could smell the alcohol on the man breath, as he pounded himself into the girls frail body. I wanted to throw up._

 _Then the scene switched. The girl was not awarded the dinner she wanted. What she did receive was uncalled for. After the man was done with her, he took her outside. She was naked, bruised, and cold, but the man did not care. He took out a phone, called someone, then minutes later a truck came out to take the child away. Days after that, the child was once again forced onto. She became a slave, a victim of human trafficking. Later, she was sold off. And I was forced to watch the life she lived._

 _The black-haired child from her dreams was then freed. Tomoko could not help but feel the relief when a women in white came, scooping up the small malnourished – now teen, into her arms._

 _But the torment still followed, Plagued with memories of the past, her parents death, her bullies at the orphanage, she broke. It was a miracle she did not break back then. Tomoko and the unnamed girl alike knew she would have been killed. But despite the better circumstances, she couldn't stop herself. Her mask was made, she could not take it off._

 _The last time someone bullied her, they ended up dead found in a river. It was an orphan, no one really cares about orphans, no one mentions that child no more._

 _A rule than began. They stayed away from her and she stayed pretended they didn't exist._

 _She was alone, but she was content._

 _The girl than grew too old for the orphanage. The government had to pay for most of her living arrangements till she got a job, if she got a job. She was labeled to be unstable, but stable enough to perform normally with normal people. They did not care for her, the feeling was mutual._

 _Tomoko couldn't help but feel pity, pity that transformed into sadness as she saw the girls story. The girl was pretty too. Dark hair, framing a heart-shaped face. A straight nose, with light freckles dusting the area. Thick lashes, protecting her green, hollow eyes from the world. Her lips were thin but smooth. All in all this girl was beautiful._

 _That was how she caught the eyes of a producer. The jolly man quickly fell head over heels for the women that lived only a block away from him. He was quite handsome. He showed her the kindness the woman almost forgot existed. His bad flirting attempts only added to his charm._

 _She was happy. He introduced her to the world, to slushies, to fast-food, to technology, to cartoons, to anime. One of her favorites involved basketball. Though he was mainly a cartoon fan, he always bought his fiancé the chapters she wanted to read. She was captivated by how there past, dark like hers, can transform them to such different people. With the help of Jake, her fiancé, she was able to transform into the person she is today._

 _Tomoko was happy. The woman was getting the closure she deserved. She was even expecting. But it seemed fate liked to play tricks. The woman got in a fatal car crash, burning away her once beautiful looks to a deformed unnatural stated. The woman had lost her child. She soon had slipped into a coma._

 _Four years went by. The woman had woken up. Tomoko knew the woman was no longer the same. Jake rushed in when he heard of her wake. Tomoko's heart warmed at the scene._

 _But then another woman slipped in, she was blonde and quite pretty. Tomoko noticed the blonde had a ring around her finger._

 _"Who is she?" The black haired woman's voice was barely above a whisper. The man looked down guilty._

 _"She is my wife" The blonde woman walked towards her husband, lacing her fingers around his. "We've been married for almost a year." Tomoko watched as the black haired women broke. In a fit a rage she broke everything in sight._

 _The man had not been patient. He left her for another. Was it because she no longer had the same face. Was it because the child she carried died. Did he not even love her one bi? He had to pay._

 _He gave her hope, she gave him her heart, only to have it crushed when she no longer had the looks she had in the past. He moved on. Tomoko watched as the woman strangled the man, the blonde wife of his tried to scratch her but had not experience with fights, unlike her. She slammed the blonde's head against the table, satisfied with the way it cracked open to reveal fresh blood._

 _Tomoko wondered why no one came to help. She wondered why she was unaffected, why she felt satisfaction at watching them die. She wondered how this happened. Tomoko was for the first time scared at herself. Snapping her head back to the flickering screen. She watched the scene unplay._

 _The woman did not have her happily ever after, after all. Upon realization, the orange eyed girl watched as the woman started looking sick. Watched as the women fell, clutching her chest. This oddly reminded the girl of the first scene, the scene almost mimicking the brutalness that occurred. It seems things always find a way to repeat themselves._

 _Then for the first time, she found out the name of the women, Kore. The same name of a woman who came from life and ended up marrying death. Kore did not get her happily ever after._

 _The world was not as carefree as it seemed anymore. But the orange haired girl did not care. She felt empty as if she was that woman – Kore._

 _She felt broken._

.  
 _ **End Of Flashback**_

Sometimes I wondered, if that women was truly happy. She seemed like the type of person to be a good actor. I watched as I fit myself into her personality. Like water in a container, I took her form effortlessly, I felt like her. This made an unknown feeling pop up in my chest but I did not care.

We moved to Japan months after my Mother's divorce. Because of all the evidence she had of infidelity from my father, she won the case. The divorce lead to $25 million dollars being given to my mom. My mother knew how to use her money. Though I really didn't care.

I became a model, quite well known. Modeling was how I met my friend, Kise. I no longer see him that much, besides during our joined sessions when modeling.

I live a pretty simple life. Middle class, and labeled a beauty. This does not matter to me. My looks and influence mean nothing. They are but a pawn to use at my disposal. Just like the knowledge I have gained.

Kore did not get a happily ever after.

A twisted smile gripped onto my face, I noticed, Mom did not get her happily ever after either.

 **XXX**

Watcha think? The story's a little loopy-loopy, but it'll get better.(I hope) I was gonna post this yesterday, but I decided to finish my cover image instead. Hope you like this story~


	2. Chained

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, never mine. T^T

A/N: Sorry about the wait.

Yep. No beta at all. I guess everyone is just all 'beta' than me. Heh, get it. 'Beta' – Better. No? Oh…. Okay…

 **Bold words= Kore speaking**

 **Happily Never After**

"You ask Why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it. The poor girl's better off dead"

― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

* * *

 **Chains**

The first thing I realized was the ringing in my ears. I resisted the urge to groan out loud, deciding to try and open my eyes instead. I could feel my eyes twitching, but nothing else happened. It was as if my eyes were sealed shut. I tried to open them again, but they just felt too heavy. As if I had some sort of blockage placed on my eyes.

"Don't exhaust yourself like that spurt, let the medications do their job." I heard an unknown voice speak. I could feel my body tensing up. Whatever was going on, I didn't like it.

 _Blue. Yellow. Blurs. A figure?_

A stranger was in this room. Did they drug me? Probably. But… the man's voice sounded nice, calm. However, if I was in danger-oh dear… I didn't want to think about it no more. The thought of knowing how helpless I was at this moment made me nauseas.

" **Where am I?** " I felt myself freeze up again. Despite my eyes being shut, I could still perceive a familiar face looking at me. What the…

Alabaster skin, heart-shaped face, smeared lipstick. _'Why does she seem familiar?_ ' I felt as if I'd seen her somewhere. No! This was impossible! That was a dream! But if it wasn't…. This could only be…

"…Kore…" Kore's eyes looked at me with a mix of shock and disdain, though there was another emotion I couldn't read. Her eyes seem to level down. I don't know what happened. I could read her, then the next moment I couldn't. Almost as if there were no emotions to begin with.

" **How do you know that name? Who are you?** " Her eyes narrowed, lips set in a sneer. I can't help but admit, that glare scared me. Her words were spoken in a way like she was testing me. All the confidence I would usually have, disappeared. I was at a lost for words _. 'What do I do?'_

"…I-I… uh..."

" **What was that?** " She crossed her arms. I couldn't tell if she was being impatient or if that was her natural attitude. It was like reading a rock. You can't read a rock's emotions, only describe their attributes. Maybe she wasn't a rock. Never mind, Rocks I know exist, K- _her_ , I don't know. I couldn't even mentally say her name. It was as if saying it would put me in harm's way.

 _'You already said her name though'_ I mentally shivered. How many mistakes have I already made?

I snapped myself out of my daze before I could make another one.

"…I-I'm Nakamura Tomoko, and I… um… saw your life" I stopped. I felt like a switch was suddenly flipped. I began to feel light-headed. The nausea made my head pound. I calmed down as I let sleep's gentle arms whisk me away.

I didn't notice the flashes of light going on around me. I didn't notice how chains suddenly wrapped around me. I didn't notice how chains wrapped around her. I just let drowsiness take full control of me.

"Hmmmn… so she went back to sleep again. The medication seems to be kicking in." The brown-haired man let out a sign of relief. Now time to meet the parents _._ The man groaned. Parents can be aggravating depending on their breed. _'But it's your job… despite how horrible it sometimes is._ ' Damn. Even his own consciousness was against him. Next thing you know his consciousness would be planning world domination from all his sleepless nights.

 _'You mean sleepless nights with women'_

"Doctor Hemming!" A short nurse with light blonde hair shouted from across the hall, holding a few sheets of papers. Her hurried steps slapping across the pavement. "There seems to be a problem. The girl's parents, they said they were going to sue if she doesn't wake up. They want to speak with you ASAP."

Doctor Hemming couldn't help but groan. "Another one?" The nurse nodded. This wasn't an unusual case. He read over the files, skimming through the vital details. 'Overreactive parents. It's just a slight head injury.'

"Tell them I'm on my way" With that, the blue-eyed doctor made his way towards the exit, approaching some very overreactive parents. Though unbeknownst to him, the parents had every reason to worry.

* * *

Tomoko woke up to an empty room. White bedsheets, light blue covers. A total contrast to her room back at home. A total contrast to her room back at _'home'._ She crawled out of the scratchy white blanket and sat up.

Her nose felt weird. A dull throbbing. It didn't hurt but it did feel uncomfortable. It was kinda hard to breath either because of the dried blood or weird feeling. Maybe both.

AAAHHH! Dried blood! What if she barely made it passed bleeding to death?!

The more she concentrated on the center of her face the weirder it started to feel. She cut her musings short as she tried to think of something else.

The ginger-haired girl signedas her thoughts drifted to her pasts. Why couldn't she forget that place. The place she grew up in. Why couldn't she forget _'him'._ Him and his groupies. How'd they always played basketball until the sun had set. Rain or sun. She didn't know how to play. But she remembered watching from afar. Admiring his skills, his emotions, how they'd show. How he smiled. But…

'HE THOUGHT I WAS A STALKER!'

A bang next door cut off her inner turmoil.

Wait… what had happened. Hmmn… I Remembered hitting my head, then blank, Then I think I was drugged and then-

"Yo" A figureless voice casually whispered in my ear.

I jumped in up in shock.

 _'I guess it wasn't all a dream then'_

Silence was the only thing that could be heard. I couldn't help but fidget despite the woman not looking at me. Testing my voice, I decided that I should end the uncomfortable pause.

"I-I…um…you know… I don't know how it happened. Err… an accident occurred and I saw you…" I couldn't help the stutter in my words. I was immensely confused and didn't know what to do.

"So… uh- "

 **"I saw snippets of what happened. I need to know the full truth."** Kore spoke it a firm, commanding voice. I didn't know how to answer. I don't know how this happened either? Maybe I'm dead or in a coma and to pass the time, my brain came up with scenarios to keep me sane? I doubt a ghost like lady would do the trick though… Was this the afterlife? How did I die? What had really happened?

I couldn't fully look the woman in the eyes. Looking down I noticed, my feet– both of them, were chained. 'But to what?'

The chains look ethereal, almost transparent disappearing through the floors.

 **"Curiosity wouldn't do you any good. But I am a logical person"** K- She started floating up. Then I notice her bottom half. My eyes had widened in shock.

There were chains as well.

"W-What! How did this happen?" I was confused and scared. My throat was dry, and my nose started to sting. Am I a prisoner of some sort? Chained for life?

 **"Cut the screaming. The adults will hear you. They may not see me, but they will see a young girl screaming at a wall. I can smell the money off you. That doesn't mean you won't be labeled as crazy."**

The woman started to lower herself, her face so close I could see every little blemish.

 **"Tell me girl. What happened? Do you think yourself dead yet?"** Her eyes were glazed with icy hatred. I swallowed my pride and tried not to shiver.

"Err…you see… I got hit by a basketball. I've never heard of anyone dying from a little hit…but I guess it's possible. And uh… I don't think I'm dead? Aren't there supposed to be other people here. I've been a good girl, shouldn't I be living in a happy place, not this white, creepy place? I mean I can hear people in the other room. Am I a ghost? Are _you_ a ghost? Are we just ghosts without ghost vision, that's why we can't see the other ghost?" Yes. I was rambling, but who could blame me. My nerves were in a jingle, the only thing really working at this moment was my tongue. Though to my knowledge, it wasn't working the way I wanted it to.

Ko- no Ms. K was silent. I kinda wish she would start screaming. Call me insane or something. Not this 'quiet'. This unknown quiet. I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Ms. K was now quite aggravated. Did I already tell you I was scared? Because if I didn't. Well I'm scared!

I licked my dry lips and swallowed hard. "…I don't know any more". My voice was barely a whisper, but I got the idea that she heard me clearly.

The woman stared at me with slight disdain. I tried my best to avoid her eyes. I watched as she cleared her throat.

 **"The gods must truly despise me to chain me to a brat like you I am Kore. In order for my retribution the gods say I must complete a task for you. I am not aware of this task. You may call me Kore."** Her tone was no longer as thick as before. It was steely and determined.

"A task?" Kore did not respond to my question nor did I expect her to. Did this mean god did exists? But she had said gods as in plural….

 **"I hope to serve you well Nakamura Tomoko. Do not disappoint me with your insolence."** The indifferent glint in her eyes flickered.

I was overcome with mixed emotions. I had servants at home but I couldn't define the lady as one. She seemed too… strange. It didn't fit. I could do nothing but swallow and nod, knowing that even if I opened my mouth no words would come out.

The chain started to glow. Golden spirals stretching and expanding around the room. The spirals grew to engulf the two people in the room basking them in it's glow.

I watched in awe as the curved lines traveled up my fingers noting how they did the same thing to the lady next to me.

Kore stared at her wrists with emotionless eyes. Squinting only slightly when the gold started to shimmer and fade. The mark left behind would have been considered beautiful, but she had no need for superficial beauty.

Her eyes widened slightly when the mark had started to take a red tint to it. She looked up to see a girl close to tears.

Tomoko wiped her eyes as she looked at the mark. What was her Mama going to think when she saw her daughter had a tattoo? She remembered seeing on TV how some guy got kicked out of his own home because he got a tattoo. What if she got kicked out?

 **"Your parents can not see it."** Tomoko looked up to see Kore floating in front of her. She glanced around and saw how the chains had disappeared.

"What?" Did she just read my mind? How did she know this? What if her parents could see. Then she'll get in big trouble.

 **"Do not make me repeat myself. The spirit world and the living do not blend often. Do you really believe that they wouldn't have the power to hide this? Some gods care little but that does not mean they lack intelligence."** Her tone left no room for disagreement.

Tomoko looked back at her wrists in awe once more. She didn't notice how the mark on Kore's wrist had taken a teal hue.

* * *

Dr. Hemming signed again for the hundredth time that day. The girls parents were a difficult bunch.

"I assure you Mr. O'Sullivan there is no infection. I could prescribe painkillers but the use of antibiotics when they are not needed isn't the best decision."

The man's partner, a pretty dark-haired woman with an equally dark gaze caught his eyes. "Are there any further injuries we need to be informed about?"

The doctor shook his head. "Her injuries are light. Her nose has stopped bleeding for some time. We do however suspect some swelling in the brain- "The women flinched and sat up straighter." -which would cause her unconsciousness. The scan results were negative and even if there was swelling it had to be small enough to bypass the scan. Swelling at that size heals on its own.

"Thank you, doctor-san," Mrs. Nakamura bowed her head slightly. Dr. Hemming Ignored the urge to raise a quizzical brow. Some customs he just didn't understand.

"We've already scheduled an appointment for you at this place. Be sure to expect a call from them Tuesday for further checkup. It's for the mini fractures along her nose and under her eyes. We want those to heal smoothly." He handed them a sheet of paper with a number and address.

"The receptions will give you the rest of the documents." Mr. O'Sullivan nodded as he helped his partner get up to leave. He stuck put his arm to receive a handshake from the doctor.

Once out of the padded chairs, Mrs. Nakamura fully bowed down and thanked him for his help.

He responded with a 'pleasure' and couldn't help but shoot a wink. Hey! Old habits die hard.

* * *

A/N: I'm very sorry. My documents got lost so I had to rewrite everything. Oof.

So yeah. This story is kinda weird. Kore's a grinchy old man.

Dr. Hemming is a closet pervert.

Tomoko has no soul.

Mrs. Nakamura is one hella of a _fine_ lady.

Tomoko also has matching tattoos with someone without parental consent.

The gods in this universe like to send grinches to do their bidding.

And I have to rewrite this entire story.


End file.
